A Christmas to Remember
by singerme
Summary: Amanda is sent on a simple courier drop just a few days before Christmas. She makes the drop, but she doesn't make it home and Lee has to find her.
1. Chapter 1

**A Christmas to Remember**

I don't own these characters; I just like to spend time with them. No other profit to be had.

Author's Note: I know Dr. Smyth didn't appear until season three but he was just perfect for this story so I brought him in a little early.

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**(Set in Season 2 – December 17)**

Lee woke up and looked over at the luscious creature in his bed, thinking about starting up where they left off the night before.

Only there wasn't a luscious creature in his bed, or even in the room.

Raising his head, he looked around. "Jillian?"

No answer.

Shrugging, Lee got out of bed, seeing, as he did, a note on his nightstand.

_Lee Darling,_

_ Last night was wonderful. Hope to do it again soon. What are your plans for Christmas? Call me._

_ Love, Jillian_

Shaking his head, Lee crumpled the note up and threw it away. Jillian was a beautiful girl and what she could do in bed was amazing but… He shook his head again. But what, he wasn't sure. He only knew that he had no desire to spend Christmas with her, or anyone else for that matter.

Lee wasn't much on holidays. Especially not family holidays, like Christmas and Thanksgiving. Family holidays were just that, meant for family and he didn't have one. He hardly counted his uncle as family.

Grabbing a towel, he headed for the shower, his mind slipping back a year to last Christmas Eve. Shot and surrounded by Russians, he still counted it as the best Christmas he'd had since his parent's death. Musing on that, he wondered why. It wasn't anything like he'd always thought a joyous Christmas should be.

There were no Christmas carols, well not unless you count four drunken spies and an apprentice spy warbling Silent Night off-key. And there wasn't any feast of turkey or ham; instead they'd had beans and vodka. And there certainly weren't any presents, unless you count the gifts of peace and friendship for a few hours.

But despite all of that, it'd been a Christmas he'd not soon forget. Sighing he stepped into his shower and turned the water on, wishing he could wash his melancholy thoughts off as easily.

But there was no use in thinking about it. This year, things would be back to normal. He had a trip to take to Italy and would probably get back home on the twenty first or second. Guacamole dip and football were the only plans he had for Christmas day.

Looking at the clock, he saw he had just enough time to get to the airport to catch his plane. Shaking off all thoughts of Christmas, Lee grabbed his bag and left.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**(December 20)**

"Amanda, darling." Dotty called from the kitchen. "I'm making some tea. Would you like some?"

"Uh… yes, Mother." Amanda answered as she struggled with the boxes in her hands. "That would be nice." Her mother, and she, had been pulling Christmas decorations down from the attic in preparation for decorating the tree and house.

Amanda had just pulled down the last box and sat it on the living room floor, knocking off a cobweb from the attic. As soon as she could, she determined, she would return to the attic and give it a thorough cleaning. She didn't like cobwebs to be anywhere near her house, not even in the attic.

Once she'd dusted herself off, Amanda headed into the kitchen, reaching it just as the phone rang. "I'll get it." She smiled at her mother.

The voice on the phone was not one she expected. She never got calls from the seldom seen Dr. Smyth. Ever. "Oh, hello, sir." She answered unconsciously standing up straight as though he were in the room with her and judging her on her posture.

"You want me to fly where?" Amanda's brows shot up. Glancing over at her mother, she could tell she was listening intently to Amanda's side of the conversation and would have questions when she hung up. She just hoped she had answers.

Dotty looked up sharply. Whoever Amanda was talking to, must be important. She knew her daughter well enough to recognize her posture and tone of voice.

"Uh… Well… Well, yes sir. Uh… okay…. Yes, sir. I can do that. … … … Oh, no, no Sir. No problem at all. … … … … Alright, then, I'll be at the airport in a couple of hours. … … … "Good bye, Sir."

As Amanda hung up the phone she looked over the questioning look on her mother's face. "Um, that… that was my boss, Mother, and he… well… he wants me to take a real short trip to New York to deliver something."

"Has he never heard of the mail?" Dotty asked. "Amanda, it's only a few days away from Christmas. We have a lot to do between now then. I mean not only the decorating, but the…"

"I know, Mother." Amanda interrupted her. "And I promise I'll be here to help you do it, but this is important and it's only a short trip. All I have to do is get on a plane to New York, go deliver the package and get right back on the plane and fly home. I should be back by late tonight, or tomorrow morning at the earliest."

Dotty shook her head in irritation. That company Amanda worked for took too much advantage of her daughter but Amanda refused to see that. All too often they had her flying out the door at all times of the day and night without so much as a by-your-leave. Sighing, she shook her head. Trying to talk her stubborn daughter out of something was impossible.

"Alright, Amanda." Dotty acquiesced. "Go on. But take your heavy coat. It's probably just as cold if not colder in New York."

Amanda kissed her mother on the cheek and headed for the door. "I will, Mother. I'll see you later."

As she headed for the door, she took a quick look around and grabbed her purse. Despite her promise to her mother, she pushed aside her heavy coat and grabbed her shorter jacket. She wouldn't be gone that long or need a big coat where she was going.

Of course, she didn't know at the time just exactly where she was going to end up.

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

**A Christmas to Remember 2**

**A/N: I forgot to mention a THANK YOU to my friend DaisyDay for nagging me to do this. Thank you dear friend.**

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**(December 21)**

"You did what?!" Lee practically growled. "What the hell were you thinking?"

"I was thinking, I am the boss and I will decide what my agents do and where they go." Smyth firmly clamped the cigarette holder between his teeth and glared back at Lee.

"But Amanda's not ready for that kind of assignment." Lee protested. He couldn't believe it, he'd gone off to Italy on a case and when he came back, Billy informed him that Amanda had been sent a routine courier assignment and was now missing.

"Where did you send her?" Lee demanded to know.

"That is on a need to know basis, Scarecrow." Smyth smirked. "And you do not need to know."

He looked around at the angry and worried faces of Billy Melrose and Lee Stetson with a touch of irritation. They seemed to really care about this King woman and he couldn't understand why. She was, after all, only a housewife from Arlington and therefore expendable.

"Now, come, come, Children." He snapped. "Why are you so concerned about a courier gone missing. It happens all the time. The important thing is, the missive she was supposed to deliver, was delivered. If she should turn up, we'll thank her heartily."

"We'll…" Lee raised his fist, prepared to break the blonde tyrant in half, but Billy moved up quickly to his side and grabbed his arm.

"Lee. Don't you have a report to file on your latest mission?" Billy's brown eyes bored into Lee's hazel ones.

Lee took a ragged breath and looked over at Billy. He understood that Billy was trying to diffuse the situation before Lee did something that would get him suspended or worse from the Agency. And they both knew that if that happened, Lee would not be able to find or help Amanda. "Yeah." He snapped as he stormed out of the office and slammed the door behind him.

"Temper, temper." Smyth gave Billy another smirk. "You really should rein him in, Melrose. It's not becoming."

"Cut the crap." Billy turned and glared at him. "Where did you send Amanda? And don't give me that baloney about 'need to know'. Where is she?"

Smyth ignored the obvious slight to his authority when he saw the look on Billy's face. "I sent her to New York." He answered. "She was supposed to deliver a coded message and then take the next flight out."

"Only she didn't take the next flight out, did she?" Billy snarled at him. "What are you doing about finding her?"

"We've put out some inquiries.' Smyth answered a little defensively. He was not used to this side of Billy Melrose and didn't like it. "We'll find her, Melrose." He said, projecting a confidence in that statement that he didn't feel. In truth he had only one agent, looking into her disappearance in his spare time, and he really didn't see the need to waste any further manpower on it.

That thought, though, led him to another. "I know what you're thinking." He turned back to Billy as he started to leave the office. "But neither you, nor any of your people, have my permission to go looking for Amanda King. You have plenty enough work here to keep you occupied without going in search of some wayward housewife who can't find her way around town. Is that clear?" He arched a brow in warning at Billy as he opened the door.

"Yeah," Billy answered gruffly. "It's clear."

For several seconds both men stared at each other, as if sizing up the competition. Smyth had no doubts that Billy Melrose would look for a way to circumvent his orders on this and Billy had no doubt that the blond headed tyrant knew that and would do anything he could to prevent it.

But Billy had been in the spy business for far longer than Smyth and he knew more a few tricks that the bureaucrat never even knew existed.

When Smyth finally left and closed the door firmly behind him, Billy picked up his phone. "Lee Get in here."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Amanda sat quietly in the small little room, looking around with frightened eyes. She had been in this place since being brought there by two men in ill-fitting dark suits with the same styling to their dark hair, the same dark sunglasses and the same New York accent. The only difference she could discern was that one was taller than the other and the other had a gold tooth. They declined to give Amanda their names or any idea of where she was or why they had taken her.

The two men, who'd just left her, did however; question her incessantly about 'the package' and just exactly who she gave it to. They were unhappy with the answers she had given them, but they were the only answers she had. She truly didn't know what package they were talking about.

Smyth's orders had been clear. She was to go to Grand Central station in New York, visit the ladies room off the main concourse and give a small envelope to a woman in a red coat and scarf with a rose pin on her lapel. Having that accomplished, she was supposed to get back on the plane and come home. It was simple, he had told her.

Only it wasn't simple. Although she'd found the restroom easily enough, and had, unobserved, handed over the envelope after the proper code words were given, she'd failed to make the plane home.

Exiting the station, she had hailed a cab to take her back to the airport. But it wasn't long before she realized the taxi wasn't headed towards the airport and her driver, who constantly watched her through his rear view mirror, was driving kind of fast, really fast actually. She'd been tossed around the back seat several times before; finally, he pulled up in front of small, abandoned looking house somewhere in the middle of a row of similar looking abandoned looking houses.

As soon as the car stopped, Amanda's door was yanked open and a man, she didn't know, reached in, grabbing her by the arm and dragging her from the taxi. "Come with me." He demanded. "We've got some questions for ya."

That had been… how long ago? In truth she really didn't know. Though the men who had her, had not hurt her, she was scared nonetheless. She truly didn't know what they wanted.

And this time, Lee wasn't going to be able to save her, because he didn't even know she was missing. He'd been out of the states when Smyth had sent her on this mission.

Burying her head in her hands, she sighed heavily. Her rescue was going to be up to her, if a rescue there was to be had. She hadn't spent all this time around Lee Stetson not to learn some things from him. She'd just have to watch and wait for the perfect opportunity to come around.

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

**A Christmas to Remember 3**

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**(December 21 – Evening)**

Shivering in her tiny little prison, Amanda thought ruefully of the heavier coat her mother had asked her to take. She wished now that she had. Of course, even a heavier coat wouldn't have made her comfortable in this unheated windowless room which consisted solely of the chair she sat on and a small pallet of blankets in the corner. Her kidnappers weren't too concerned with her well-being, that was obvious.

The two black haired bandits had come and gone several times, always with a list of questions and always they left disappointed. This last time they left, one of the men mentioned something about using drugs the next time. She didn't know what kind of drugs they had in mind, but she wasn't willing to wait around and see.

Since being brought here, she'd been allowed out of the room only when she told them she needed to use the restroom. Each time, they'd grab her tightly by the arm, lead her down a hallway and shove her into the tiny little bathroom and stand outside, pounding on the door, if they thought she was taking too long.

Though brief, the trips to the bathroom had, at least, given her a possible method of escape. The first time Amanda had gone into the tiny space, she had inspected the miniscule window and each of the cheaply paneled walls. The window was too small and boarded up. But the wall under the sink had some give to it.

She hadn't been able to do much about it that time, but the next time she went, and each successive trip, she had consistently worked, until she'd managed to pull the plywood paneling away and make a hole in behind it. She almost had the hole big enough to get through. Although it only led into another room, Amanda knew it would at least give her an opportunity to try and get away.

And Amanda sorely wanted to get away.

It had been about two hours since she'd last seen the men and she thought it about time, she made her attempt at escape. Pounding on the door, she kept up the racket until the one with the gold front tooth opened the door and stepped in. "Yeah? What'd'ya want?"

Amanda blushed, as she did each time she made the request, in the back of her mind she wondered what these men thought of her incessant need to go to the restroom, then just as quickly realized she didn't care. "I, uh, need to go to the bathroom again." She dropped her head, lest he should see the deception she was sure was written across her face.

If he did see it, he didn't show it. "Come on." He growled as he grabbed her arm and propelled her down the hall and to the rest room. "You sure gotta go a lot."

Once inside the small room, Amanda wasted no time in turning on the tap full blast and then reaching under the sink and pulling back the paneling. The hole, though small, was still yet big enough for her small frame to get through with a little wriggling. Once through, she got to her feet and looked around.

She found herself in an empty room with a door on one side and a window on the other. The door was out, as her captor would be right outside in the hallway. Even now, she could hear him pounding on the door, ordering her out. But the window held possibilities.

Swiftly crossing over to it, she checked to see if it was locked. It wasn't, it didn't even have locks or boards like the bathroom window. However, after tugging with all her strength, she realized it didn't need them, it was stuck tight.

For several seconds, Amanda stood indecisively besides the blocked opening, trying to decide what to do. But her mind was made up when she heard the bathroom door crash open and a yell coming from the hood who'd discovered her missing.

She had no choice. Closing her eyes, she turned and bashed her jacketed elbow into the window hard enough to break it. Only it didn't break. Swallowing hard, she tried again and again it didn't break. Finally, she raised her foot and kicked it as hard as she could. The window finally broke showering her and the floor with glass, just as her escape hole was discovered.

"She's in the next room." She heard one of the men yell.

Without a moment to spare, Amanda scrambled through the broken window. Dropping to the ground below, she jumped back up to her feet and ran. She had no idea where she was, or even which direction she should go, but the two men chasing after her, were enough to spur her on.

Making a judgment call on what to do, Amanda took off to her right, running as fast as she could. Frantically, she tried several of the nearby houses but achieved no answer and the doors were firmly locked.

She needed to find help, but just as she was beginning to be afraid there was none to be had, she spotted a house on the left with a bunch of cars parked in front and loud music emanating from inside. Racing up the drive, she made her way to the entryway and raised a hand to knock, just when the door opened and a man appeared.

"Hey, baby." He grinned with a leering wink. "It's about time ya got here." Reaching out, he grabbed her by the arm and pulled her inside.

"Excuse me." Amanda protested as the blond haired man hustled her inside and into the midst of a group of scantily clad men who seemed, for the most part, either drunk, high or both.

"You don't gotta apologize, baby." The man grabbed Amanda's arm and pulled her into his hairy chest. "You're not that late."

"Late?" Amanda asked stiffening as the man's hands began to move into uncomfortable territory. "Uh, look, I uh…" she tried to pull away but he refused to let go of her. Looking up into his dark brown eyes, she could tell he wasn't sober and he wasn't willing to let her go without a fight. She didn't like to fight and she still didn't know how to hit real well, but she wasn't about to let this man grope her.

Raising an arm, she pushed back against him, while stomping on his foot. When the man released her, she pushed him again and turned to run when another of the drunken party goers grabbed her around the waist and spun her towards two other men.

"Looky there." The second man, black hair, blue eyes and more muscle than she wanted to think about, grinned. "Our hooker likes it rough."

"Hooker!?" Amanda hissed indignantly, as she grappled with the two other men who were trying to pull her into their grasp. "You think I'm a hooker?" For a moment, the gravity of the situation, and the dire circumstances she was currently in, was forgotten as she realized what these men were thinking and it made her angry. "I'm not a hooker." Her voice grew just a touch raspier as it went up an octave in fury.

"You sure look like one to me." The blond said as he limped over towards her. Amanda had done a number on his foot. Three more men joined him surrounding her.

"But I'm not." Amanda protested. "Look, I came here for help. I need to use a phone."

"You can do that from the precinct, lady." A new voice spoke up.

All heads swiveled towards the door to see a man in a trench coat, a ragged feathered fedora and a weary expression standing in the doorway, along with several uniformed officers. "Police." The man said dryly. "You're all under arrest."

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

**A Christmas to Remember 4**

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**(December 21 – Late Night)**

Lee sat pensively in his seat as the plane taxied down the runway and took off. His mind was in a million places at once, but all of those places centered on Amanda. If pressed to explain it, he'd fail miserably. But there was something about her that brought out a protectiveness in him, a need to take care of her.

He supposed it was because he'd been the one to bring her into this spy business in the first place. If they'd not met, she'd never have gotten into the many dire situations she managed to end up in. Of course, as Amanda had pointed out one time, if they'd not met, he wouldn't have been there to save her the many times that he had.

"This your first time to New York?" The white haired gentleman, sitting next to him, asked, pulling Lee from his thoughts.

"Huh? Oh, uh… no. No, I've been there several times." Lee answered. "You?" He usually didn't like to make small talk but in this case he welcomed the distraction from the morose and depressing thoughts he had about Amanda's possible fate.

"Oh, heavens yes." The elderly dark skinned man answered in a slow southern drawl. "Mah daughter, for some unknown reason, decided to leave Georgia and live there. I go and see her occasionally when I can. I'm going to spend Christmas with her this year and I shore am looking forward to it. You going to visit relatives too?" He asked curiously.

"Uh…" Lee cleared his throat. Relatives. He didn't have any relatives. Other than Billy, Francine and Amanda, he couldn't even really say he had any close friends. "Uh, no. I'm going there on business."

"Business?" The man exclaimed. "Why, son, it's almost Christmas. What kind of boss you got that would make you leave your home at Christmas time?"

"A very good one." Lee smiled genially. "I actually volunteered to go." He confided. "This is something I wanted to do, rather than had to."

"Ohhhhh, I see." The man nodded. "You one of dem dedicated souls like mah daughter. Job first, family later?"

"Yeah, something like that." Lee turned back to the window, his thoughts once again turning cloudy. There was that word again, 'family'. He thought of Amanda's family and what kind of Christmas they might have, if he didn't find her. Taking a deep breath, he sat back in his seat. "Hang on, Amanda." He said silently. "I'm coming. I'll get you home for Christmas."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**(December 22 – Morning)**

As soon as Lee got off the plane he grabbed his bag and sought out a pay phone and called back to the Agency.

"Yeah, Billy? This is Lee. I just got here. … … …Ah, my flight got delayed. … … Yeah. It's okay. You hear anything?" His expression turned from worried to relieved back to worried and then to irritated while he listened to his boss. "She what?" He took a deep breath to calm himself and then nodded as though Billy could see him. "Alright, Billy. I'm on my way. And thanks. I'll check back in as soon as I can get this straightened out."

Rushing outside, Lee hailed a cab and flung himself into the back seat. "Police station, ninth precinct, the Bronx." Lee told the driver. "And step on it, will ya."

The bald headed man, with a generous stomach and several chins, eyed Lee curiously in the rear view mirror as he threw the car into gear. He'd taken people to all sorts of places from the airport, but this was the first time he'd had someone want to go to jail.

When the taxi pulled up in front of the tall brick building, Lee quickly got out and paid the taxi, hustling inside through the two wooden doors, out of the cold wind that had picked up.

After showing his credentials, Lee was shown into a small office and told to wait. "Captain Lewis will be right with you."

Lee waited, but impatiently, and though it only took a couple of minutes for the overweight and rumpled policeman to come, Lee was ready to pounce on him when he opened the door and stepped in. "Where's Amanda?" He demanded.

Lewis didn't reply for a moment as he calmly looked at Lee's credentials which he held and then back at Lee. Finally, he hand Lee back his information and gestured towards a chair. "Have a seat, Mr. Stetson."

"No." Lee shook his head. "I don't want a seat. I want to know where Amanda King is and what you have her locked up for."

Lewis had been a cop for a long time and he knew feeding into someone's anger never helped the situation. Slowly, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a cigarette. "Care if I smoke?"

"Yeah, I do." Lee snapped at him. "Now tell me what I want to know."

With a sigh and a shake of his head, Lewis put the cigarette up and gave Lee a cool look. "I found her in a house we were raiding. From the looks of things she was set on being the evening's entertainment for the six men in the place."

Lee's mouth dropped open when he realized what the captain was suggesting. "Amanda? Are you kidding me?"

"No, I'm not." Lewis calmly told him. "The house we raided is owned by a man named Gavin Trent, he's a local drug dealer. He holds party's there ever so often and the entertainment is usually a prostitute or two and loads of liquor and drugs. We've been trying to get something on him for a while and we've raided that place time after time, but every time we do, we come up empty. He somehow always gets warned ahead of time and when we show up, nada. Only this time…"

"Only 'this time' what?" Lee asked with a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"This time Trent's warning system failed. We found drugs, weapons and Mrs. King. Everything we need to press charges."

"You can't seriously think that Amanda would… well that she was…" Lee couldn't bring himself to say prostitute and Amanda in the same sentence. They didn't fit together.

"I don't know." Lewis answered. "She's a looker, right enough and she didn't have any id on her but well… she kinda rambled a lot. I couldn't figure out if she was high or just normally like that. So's anyway, I locked her up for her safety and my sanity. Once she got back there she convinced one of the other officers to give your office a call which I suppose is why you're here."

Lee nodded, relieved. If Amanda was rambling, then she was nervous but probably alright. "Can I see her now?"

Lewis nodded. "As long as you're vouching for her, I guess you can have her. Follow me."

There seemed to be a hint of something in Lewis' voice but right Lee didn't know what it was and was too worried about Amanda to give it much thought. He just wanted to see her.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Amanda sat quietly on a bunk in the cell they had shoved her into, trying hard not to cry and not to listen to the rude and crude remarks made by the other three women in the cell with her. Thanks to her association with the Agency, she'd been exposed to people like this before, but until then, she'd never been locked up with them.

"Hey girl," the big bronzed blond with more makeup and muscle than sense, pushed her back a little by the shoulder. "You're in my spot. I own this cell and everyone in it. You hear me?"

Amanda swallowed hard and nodded, trying to stand, so she could vacate the woman's 'spot'. But the amazon wasn't quite willing to let her go. Tugging her halter top down a touch and adjusting her assets, she glared at Amanda as she attempted to stand and pushed her back down. "I asked you a question." She got extremely close and Amanda could smell the woman's lunch on her breath as well as other odors she didn't want to identify.

"Yo…you asked me a question." Amanda looked up at her, trying not to show just how frightened she was right then.

"Yeah," the blonde grinned evilly. "I wanna make sure ya know, I own this place and I own you."

"She understands, Gloria." Lewis spoke as he opened the cell door and swung it open. "Amanda King. Your ride is here."

Amanda looked up to see the most beautiful sight she'd seen in a while. Lee Stetson was standing there with a look of irritated concern on his face and Amanda had thought he never looked better. "Lee!"

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

**A Christmas to Remember 5**

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**(December 22 – Afternoon)**

As soon as Amanda stepped out of the cell, Lee, without thinking, pulled her into an embrace, hugging her tightly for a moment. "You okay?" He asked, finally pushing her back to get a good look at her. She was dirty, her clothes were torn and ragged and her hair, though pulled back, looked like it hadn't seen a brush in weeks. But she was alright and that was all that mattered to him right then.

Amanda nodded with a sniffle. "I'm okay, now. I am just so glad you're here. I was so scared, Lee."

He hugged her again before finally, reluctantly, letting her go. "I know, but let's not talk about it right now. Come on and let me get you out of here."

"Hey, Baby." Gloria called out to Lee. "What about me? You get me out of here and I guarantee to do a whole lot more for you than she can." She gave Amanda a scathing look as she leered at Lee.

Lee stopped and looked over at the too well endowed woman in the too tight clothes and garish makeup and smiled. "Believe me, _honey_." He smirked at her. "You could never do as much for me as she does. And that is one thing, I can guarantee you." Taking a stunned Amanda's hand, Lee led her past the irritated bleached blond and out of the cell area.

"Thank you, Lee." Amanda looked up at him with a shy, grateful smile.

"It's just the truth." He returned the smile.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

After signing some papers and leaving information on where he could be reached, Lee took Amanda out of the police station and down the street to a café, he had seen.

Although, Lewis wanted them to stay in town, in case he had some more questions, Lee refused. He didn't know what had happened to Amanda since she'd flown to New York but it looked like it hadn't been good and he didn't want her to go through any more.

He planned on getting her something to eat, taking her someplace to get washed up and rest then he was going to put her on the next plane home. He decided he would, however, stay behind and find out just exactly what had happened, who took her and why.

"So you're telling me, that those two goons picked you up at the train station, took you to that house and kept you there until last night?" Lee watched her eating her soup and sandwich as though she hadn't seen food in days.

"Um hum," she answered around a mouthful of sandwich. Taking a long swallow of her tea, she looked up at Lee with a blush. "Sorry, I gobbled my food like that, Lee. It's just that I haven't eaten since I got here, well I mean I just now ate but I mean before now, I haven't. Eaten that is."

Lee shook his head, glad to hear her ramble. "It's alright, Amanda. I understand. What I don't understand is what those guys wanted with you."

"I don't either, Lee. They just kept saying they wanted 'the package' and asking me what I did with it. I told them of course that I didn't have a package and that I didn't know anything about a package but they just kept asking about it. They kept me in that little room for such a long time and would only let me out to go to the rest room and I, well, you know I couldn't just stay there. So I kept picking at that paneling and then I jumped out of the window and I just, you know, I ran. I had to get away. I had Mother and the boys to think about and…" She paused and suddenly a panicked look crossed her face. "Lee. My mother and the boys! Oh, gosh, what I am going to say to them? How do I tell them that I was kidnapped by two monsters and then arrested as a prosti… well you know. What am I going to do, Lee?"

Lee reached across the table and clasped her hand in his, holding back a grin at her calling her captors 'monsters'. "You're going to relax. Now, I know it's been a very difficult time for you, but I want you to understand, it's going to be alright. First of all, your family is fine. When you didn't return when you were supposed to, Billy called your mother and told her that you were un-expectantly delayed but that he'd have you call her as soon as you could. He assured her you were fine and he even followed up with another call when he found out where you were. She thinks you were sent out on location when you got here and can't get to a phone."

"In New York?" Amanda gave him an incredulous look. "Even my mother wouldn't buy that I couldn't find a phone."

"But she did." Lee tugged at her hand before it dawned on him that he still had it in his grasp. Letting go, he cleared his throat and sat back. "Billy told her that you were on the Island of Alcatraz and that they don't have any phones there."

Amanda stared at the hand he'd held for just a moment longer before raising grateful eyes to his. "Oh, gee, I'm glad to hear that. I was really worried about, well, you know; what I would say and how…"

"I know." Lee interrupted her before she got started. "But right now that's not important. Look, how about I get you a hotel room so you can get washed up and get some rest?"

Amanda smiled gratefully at him as she looked down at her dirty and torn clothing. "I'd like that Lee. I certainly am tired and I look just awful. I need to change my clothes and…" She stopped again as she remembered she didn't have any clothes with her and the two men who'd taken her had her purse. "My purse. Those men have my purse and my wallet is in there with my address and… Lee, my family. What if they go after my family? I know Virginia a ways from here but…"

It dawned on Lee, she could be right. "Yeah, well, don't worry. Look, I'll call Billy and have him a put a security detail on your home and family. That way if anyone does come near there, we'll nab them."

"What do I do in the meantime?" She asked simply. "Go home and wait for them to show up?"

Lee dropped his head for a moment. He hadn't thought about that. He didn't know who these men were or what they wanted and he had no idea how connected they were. If he sent Amanda home alone, as he'd planned, he could be putting her right back at risk to be kidnapped again. And if she did go home, and they either followed or were there waiting for her, she would not only be in danger herself but her family as well, security detail or no.

Shaking his head, he took a deep breath and looked back up at her. "Looks like you're staying with me for a while."

TBC


	6. Chapter 6

**A Christmas to Remember 6**

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**(December 23)**

The day before Christmas Eve dawned cold and cloudy, with the threat of snow. The previous night, after stopping by Macy's and getting her some clothes and toiletries, Lee had rented a two room hotel suite, giving Amanda the bedroom while he took the couch in the sitting room.

The brown leather sofa was uncomfortably short for his lanky frame but he didn't plan on sleeping much anyway. Until he figured this thing out and got Amanda home safe and sound, she was his responsibility to protect and he couldn't do that and sleep.

But despite his noble intentions, Lee did finally doze off sometime in the early hours of the morning and slept fitfully for several hours before rising stiff and sore to see Amanda curled up in a chair across from him, fast asleep with a blanket around her. "Amanda?"

Sleepy brown eyes opened and regarded Lee for several seconds before replying. "Good morning." She smiled.

"What are you doing sleeping in that chair?" He asked, glancing towards the bedroom door. "Something wrong with the bed? "

Amanda shrugged a little self-consciously. "No, nothing like that. It's just… well… " She blushed, a little embarrassed to admit it. "Well, it's just that I was a little scared to be in there by myself. I mean, should those men find me, I… I…"

"Amanda," Lee said just a touch irritably. "I told you its safe here. You didn't need to sleep in an uncomfortable chair all night. There was no need for both of us to have a lousy night's sleep. I swear, Aman…"

He stopped when he saw the look on her face before she dropped her head. "I'm sorry." He took a deep breath. Truth was he was more irritated at himself for falling asleep than he was at her. "I know you went through a rough time and I know you're scared. But you don't need to be, now. You're safe. Do you understand? No one will bother you now."

"Then why did you camp out on the couch here and stay up a large part of the night, instead of getting your own room?" Amanda asked, watching him intently.

"Oh,.." He hesitated. "I… uh… well, its…"

"Just part of your job?" Amanda gave him a way out, secretly pleased at the thought that he might care about her.

"Yeah." Lee smiled; relieved he didn't have to come up with a better answer. "Say, why don't we get dressed and go get some coffee?" He quickly changed the subject. "Then I want you to tell me everything that you said or did since the moment you got off the plane here, until Lewis arrested you. And maybe we can get this all sorted out and get you home by Christmas Eve. Okay?" He gave her one his megawatt smiles.

"Okay." Amanda agreed with a sigh, grateful for the distraction.

Over a breakfast of eggs, toast and coffee for Amanda and coffee for Lee, Amanda told him everything she knew, which wasn't much. She described the men and the house and told Lee everything that was said and done. Lee decided it was time to check that house out himself.

Three hours later, found Amanda and Lee back in the same derelict neighborhood that Amanda had been taken to. Unerringly, Amanda took Lee back to the house that she'd been held captive in. It looked just as abandoned as it had a couple of days prior when she'd been brought there by the renegade taxi. The only difference was the broken window to the right of the front door.

"You stay in the car." Lee said automatically as he started to exit the rental car he'd secured for them. "I'll take a look around."

Amanda didn't actually protest, but she didn't linger inside the car either. Getting out, she walked up next to Lee. "I'll show you the room they kept me in." She said, as she started towards the house.

Instead of trying to stop her, Lee just rolled his eyes and followed after her with a shake of his head. Arguing with Amanda King was usually an exercise in futility and a waste of time. And right then, just two days before Christmas, he didn't feel they had the time to waste.

Getting inside through the same broken window, Amanda wasted no time in taking Lee down the hall to the small room she had been held prisoner in and the even smaller bathroom she had escaped from. Who ever had been there was long gone and had taken with them all trace of their existence. The only thing that remained of Amanda's ordeal was the pile of dirty blankets, in the room she'd stayed in, and the torn paneling in the bathroom.

"I called Billy this morning, while we were at the restaurant." Lee told her as they walked through the empty rooms of the decrepit house. "He said he'll try to find out who owns this place but I doubt it matters much. Most of the houses on this block look abandoned, so who ever these goombas are, that took you, they probably chose this place at random."

Amanda nodded, shivering in spite of the new coat she wore. "Yeah, probably so. I just hate not knowing who they were though, or what they wanted. Lee, they were so mean. They insisted that I knew where their package was, but I didn't."

"You know," Lee stopped as he thought about it. "There are two possibilities here. Either those men were watching you, or they were watching that bathroom. Now no one knew you were coming to New York except Smyth. So I doubt they were watching you. Which means…"

"Which means there must be something in that bathroom." Amanda finished for him.

"Yeah," Lee nodded as he turned for the door. "Let's go, Amanda. I suddenly have an urge to visit the train station."

TBC


	7. Chapter 7

**A Christmas to Remember 7**

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**(December 23)**

Midtown Manhattan traffic was horrible as Lee wended his way through one clogged intersection after another trying to reach the train station. "Boy, New Yorkers sure don't know how to drive." He groused as a gray Chevy Impala cut sharply in front of him.

"It's just this time of year." Amanda answered. "I mean, it's just two days before Christmas and people are trying to get their last minute shopping done and get home."

"Yeah, well, they oughta do what I do." Lee shook his head. "Buy scarves for everyone. That way you don't have to guess at the size or anything and, you know, you can never have too many scarves."

Amanda nodded but didn't reply as they finally reached 42nd street and Park Avenue. It took some maneuvering, but Lee finally found a space and he and Amanda parked and headed in.

The inside of the massive building was packed with commuters, sightseers and workers. "Now where is this restroom?" Lee asked, as wrapped and arm around her and moved her to his side. With so many people in the place, he wanted there to be no chance of anyone coming near her.

Amanda enjoyed having his arm around her, even though she suspected Lee was only doing it as part of his job. Smiling over at him, she pointed to their left. "Over there."

Leading her over, Lee paused at the door. "You keep watch." He told her as he started for the door, but Amanda put a restraining hand on his arm.

"Uh huh, Scarecrow. That's the ladies room." She raised a brow. "Unless you want some very angry women after you, I think you'd better let me go in first. If there's no one in there, then I'll call you in and I'll keep watch."

Lee nodded slightly embarrassed. "Oh, right." Opening the door for her, he stood protectively outside, prepared to bar anyone from entering should they try.

Amanda walked into the restroom slowly, looking around to see if there was any one inside. At first glance, she saw no one and was just about to turn back towards the door for Lee when she saw feet sticking out from under one of the stalls. The sight might not have been so startling if it weren't for the fact that it wasn't a woman's feet on the ground and there wasn't any sound coming from the stall.

Swallowing hard, Amanda carefully opened the stall door and peeked inside. Mr. Gold tooth, who'd held her captive for almost two days, was sitting on the commode, a knife sticking in his chest. This not being her first time to see a dead body, Amanda did not scream, although she wanted to. Instead, she backed away slowly and went the bathroom door.

"Lee?" She opened the door just slightly and whispered, looking around apprehensively for anyone else.

Lee turned towards her. "Any one in there?"

Amanda shook her head. "No, unless you count the dead man on the toilet."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Amanda sat pensively in Captain Lewis' office while Lee paced, occasionally running his hand through his hair in irritation. They'd been in that office for almost an hour now, and Lee was getting impatient.

Finally the door cracked open and Lewis came shuffling in, a large file in his hand. "Sorry you two had to wait so long." He said as he crossed to his desk and sat down behind it. "Had to confirm a couple of things."

"What things?" Lee asked with a suspicious note to his tone.

Lewis regarded him seriously for a moment before answering. "You two, for one." He answered. "She's not in town for more than a few days and she's already been arrested for prostitution and now she's found with a dead body."

"But I didn't…" Amanda started to protest.

Lewis waved her and Lee both off as he saw the agent turn sharply and take a step closer. "I know you didn't kill the man. And I know you weren't at that house, the other night, to do business. But I still have to look at everything, especially when it concerns a man like Bruno Gimondi."

"Who the hell is Bruno Gimondi?" Lee frowned at him.

"He's Mafia." Lewis answered. "Low level Mafia, but Mafia nonetheless. He and his brother Frankie are enforcers for Tony Cue Ball Abbatelli. Or at least he was until someone plunged a knife in his chest. Don't know about Franco yet."

Lee stiffened when he heard the boss's name. That was a name he did know. "Abbatelli is behind Amanda's kidnapping?" He turned hard hazel eyes to the policeman.

Lewis shrugged. "Can't say that for sure, but it looks like it could be. Of course it could be that Bruno and Frankie took her, on their own, without Abbatelli's knowledge."

Lee scowled at him. "I doubt that. There's very little in this city that Abatelli doesn't know about."

"Lee, Captain Lewis," Amanda brought their attention back to her. "Who are these men? And what did they want with me?"

Lee and Lewis exchanged chagrined looks before Lee took the chair next to Amanda and reached out, taking her hand in his.

Taking a deep breath, he plunged in. "Abbatelli is one of the biggest mob bosses in New York, Amanda. He controls a mega-million dollar enterprise that has its finger in almost every illegal activity going on in this city."

Amanda didn't like what she was hearing about this man, but she still didn't understand why he had taken her. "But what does that have to do with me?" She asked. "I mean I've never been to New York before and I don't know this man, well, of course I didn't know those other two men, Gimo… Gimon…"

"Gimondi." Lee finished for her

"Gimondi." Amanda barely paused. "I've never met any of these people and I don't anything about that package they kept asking about and I…"

"Amanda." Lee tugged at her hand. "I know you don't understand. None of us do, right now. But I promise you, we'll get to the bottom of this."

"Before Christmas?" She asked, watching him and Lewis closely.

Lee looked back over at Lewis. He could tell that the veteran police officer was no surer than he was of how quick they could figure this out. But he wasn't about to tell Amanda that. "Sure." He smiled at her. "By Christmas."

TBC


	8. Chapter 8

**A Christmas to Remember 8**

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**(December 23 - Evening)**

After finally leaving the police station, Lee and Amanda were heading back to their hotel, when he spotted a car following them. A light blue Chevy had fallen in behind, keeping a discrete distance, but staying with them at each turn.

"Amanda," Lee said taking another look in his rear view mirror. "Looks like, we have a tail."

Amanda immediately turned and looked out the back window. A four door, blue sedan was indeed behind them. She could see two people in the front seat, but they were too far back to tell what they looked like. "Who do you think they are?"

"Well, if I were to guess, I'd say probably a member of Abbatelli's goon squad." Several turns and a pass back by the police station, failed to shake their followers.

"They seem to like it back there." Lee said as he took a hard right turn around the next corner, causing Amanda to cringe and grab her seat belt. "Let's see how much. Hang on, Amanda." He told her as he took another hard turn, the Chevy right behind.

"I'm hanging." Amanda said, scooting down in her seat as she looked at the tight grip Lee had of the wheel. "Lee, where are we going?"

Lee looked to see a street sign stating _'__**Central Park – Next Left'**_. "We're going to Central Park." He said, hanging a left on two wheels.

"Oh good," Amanda gasped when the car settled back down on all four wheels. "I've always wanted to visit Central Park."

Lee didn't reply as he executed several professional maneuvers to escape the Chevy who was stubbornly hanging on. But every move he made was copied by the faceless men in the trailing car. Rounding a sharp corner, Lee found himself in a parking lot with no exit, save the one he had entered on.

Ripping through the parking area, Lee made to turn around and head back out but the Chevy had come in behind and blocked the only exit. Seeing no other option, Lee gunned the engine of the rental Ford and took off cross country. Plowing up manicured lawns and well maintained landscaping, Lee put quite a bit of distance between them and their tail.

The blue sedan had only made it a quarter of the way in, when it began to bog down. It wasn't long before it stopped completely, unable to go any further. Although Amanda smiled over at Lee for getting rid of their tail, Lee saved any celebration as he could see his Ford was losing ground.

In their mad dash cross hill and dale, he had hit a rather large bolder and the car was getting harder and harder to control. He had an idea, he'd somehow managed to damage the steering linkage in the front and they were headed for a large oak tree. Lee twisted the steering wheel hard to the right, but it wasn't responding. And after several tries, he realized the breaks weren't either.

"Amanda," he said as calmly as he could. 'Get ready to jump, this crate's about to mate with that tree, and I don't want us in it, when that happens."

Amanda looked over at him, eyes wide. "Jump?"

"Yeah," Lee nodded. "Hurry, get your seatbelt off and get ready."

Quickly, Amanda clicked out of her seatbelt and reached for the door handle. When Lee yelled, "Now, Amanda," she opened the door and propelled herself from the car. When she looked up, she saw Lee had done the same. The driverless car, seemed to gain momentum, once shed of its passengers, and hurtled forward, plowing into the large oak.

Exploding upon impact, it knocked Lee down just as he had gained his feet. Once he'd gotten back up again, he looked over to where he'd seen Amanda, she was still where she'd fallen, lying on the ground. "Amanda!" He ran quickly over to her. Falling to his knees beside her, he gently tugged her by the shoulders.

Amanda, moaned slightly, opening her eyes to see the worried face of Lee Stetson looming over her. "Lee. The car."

"I know." He said, not worried in the slightest about it. He was worried about her. "Are you okay? Can you get up?"

Amanda sat still for a second, before nodding. "Yeah, that blast just knocked the breath out of me. What about you? You okay?"

"I'm fine." Lee assured her. "But we need to get out of here. Just because that Chevy stopped, doesn't mean the men inside it did. Come on, let me help you."

Getting back to his feet, he reached down and helped Amanda up. Only Amanda wasn't as unaffected by her jump and the subsequent blast of the car, as she thought. Two steps and she gasped in pain and came to an abrupt halt.

"What's wrong?" Lee asked when he saw the grimace on her face.

"I think I twisted my ankle." She groaned. Looking down at her left foot, she saw she was correct, her ankle was already purple and rapidly swelling. Looking up at Lee, she swallowed hard. "Go on, Lee. Leave me."

Lee shook his head, and wrapped an arm around her. "Leave me, she says. That's my line, Amanda King."

Amanda gave him a smile despite the pain. "Isn't that what we're supposed to say?"

"No." Lee answered. "It's what I'm supposed to say. Now, come on. Let's get out of here."

"Lee," Amanda said logically. "Wouldn't it be better to sit here and wait for the police? You know someone probably called them by now."

"Yeah," Lee nodded as he began to lead her on, away from the crash and towards a thick stand of trees just to their right. "It'd be easier, but not for us. I'm not so sure we can trust the police, Amanda."

Amanda gasped again, though this time it was in surprise. "Lee, you don't think…"

"Yes, I do." Lee glanced down at her ankle and saw that it was swelling even more and at this pace, they wouldn't get far. Swiftly, he swung her up into his arms and began to run. "I'll explain it later," he told her. "Just as soon as we find a place to hide."

Amanda didn't answer as she wrapped her arms around his neck and held on tight. Her hope for a quick answer and a swift trip home, were now dashed.

TBC


	9. Chapter 9

**A Christmas to Remember 9**

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**(December 24 - Morning)**

Christmas Eve dawned as cold, if not colder than, the day before. Lee looked out of the window of the flea bitten motel room he'd rented, and saw that it had begun to snow. 'Great,' he thought as he looked over at Amanda, still asleep in the bed beside him. The room they'd rented only had one bed and a small, hard backed chair. Amanda had blushed at their imposed sleeping arrangements, but she understood that was their only choice.

After carrying her out of the park, the previous night, Lee had found a place to flag down a taxi. He thought briefly about going back to the hotel, but decided against it. If his suspicions were right, that would be watched.

So instead, he had the taxi driver take them to an all-night drug store where he purchased an ace bandage for Amanda's ankle and some pain reliever as well as two 'I love New York' souvenir t-shirts. The clothes they'd bought for Amanda and his bags were still at the hotel. The t-shirts would at least give them something clean for the morrow.

Once back inside the taxi, he had the long haired man with the dirty baseball cap drive them around a little until he thought of what to do. That was how they ended up in this dump. He'd spotted the vacancy sign as they made a pass and by it and had the driver let them off two blocks away. No use in the man knowing where they going.

Lee explained to Amanda that he didn't trust the police captain and didn't want to take any chances. "Those apes following us from the police station, is just a little bit too much of a coincidence." He'd told her. "I'm not so sure that Lewis didn't call them when he was out of the room for so long. Him showing up and arresting you, that night you escaped, is probably because the Gimondi brothers called him or something."

Amanda shook her head. "I still don't understand a lot of this. If that dead man was part of all of this, why was he killed?"

Lee shrugged. "Probably just housekeeping."

Amanda gave him a suspicious look. "What does vacuuming and sweeping have to do with this?"

Lee shook his head. "Not that kind of housekeeping. I figure Abbatelli put a hit out on him when he lost you and the package. Wouldn't surprise if his brother doesn't show up dead somewhere as well. Not sure what he was doing in that bathroom though. Could be he went back to search for the missing package to redeem himself and got caught there instead. However it happened, I'm not about to put us in the position to join him."

"You don't really think...?"

Lee nodded. "I do. That's why we're not going back to the hotel. It's probably being watched for our return."

When they entered the motel, the small little man behind the counter, with the dirty shirt and sour expression, barely looked up when Lee and Amanda asked for a room. "Number 10." He'd droned. "Top of the stairs and to the left."

Making it to the top of those stairs had been difficult for Amanda but she'd refused to let him try and carry her as she looked over at the short man behind the counter. "I can do it." She whispered. And she did.

Though Lee could tell, when they'd finally reached the second floor, that it hadn't been easy on her, she said nothing. "Stubborn woman." He thought.

Once inside the room, Lee had secured the door and called Billy. Through a series of coded sentences, he'd been given the name of an old friend of Billy's, who his boss assured him, would help and gave him the name of a café where he would arrange a meet with the man.

Hopefully the man could help him financially as well. The hotel suite, rental car and everything else he'd spent money on had just about taken a large part of the cash he'd come with and he was afraid to use his credit card, for fear it could be too easily traced to find them.

Looking back out of the window, he noticed how much deeper the snow was getting. If they didn't leave soon, they might not leave at all. Reaching over, he gently prodded Amanda on the shoulder. "Amanda, get up. We've got to get going."

"Mo-ther." Amanda moaned and buried her head under the pillow. "Just a few minutes more."

Lee shook his head and prodded her again. "Amanda, come on. We've got to get up. It's snowing outside."

Warily, Amanda emerged from under the pillow and looked over to see Lee sitting beside her. "Lee?"

"Yeah." He grinned at the blush that sprang to her cheeks. Even though she'd accepted this set up last night, she was slightly embarrassed to be waking up in bed with him, even fully clothed. "Come on, sleepy head. We need to get out of here. Billy's friend is supposed to meet us a few blocks from here, if the snow doesn't keep him from it."

"Snow?" Amanda turned and looked out of the window, to see the cascade of white. "Oh, Lee, what are we going to do? The snow will make it hard for us to get around, I mean with my ankle it's going to be hard enough, but now…"

"Amanda," he stopped her mid ramble. "Don't worry about it. Just get up and let's get going. We'll be okay."

"Okay." She nodded as she sat up and swung her feet off the bed. Trying not to make an issue of her hurt ankle, she grabbed the t-shirt Lee had given her and painfully limped into the bathroom. She came back out a few minutes later, face scrubbed, clean shirt on and hair in a ponytail. "Guess I'm ready."

Lee nodded. "Alright, let's go." Starting for the door, he stopped when he saw how hard walking was for her. "You want me to…"

"No." She shook her head. "You did enough of that last night. It's a wonder you didn't put your back out. I'll be alright. I just need to walk around on it a little. It'll be okay." Although Amanda wasn't sure of her words, she was sure she didn't want Lee carrying her around, no matter how much she enjoyed it.

She couldn't explain it, but the feeling she got when in his arms, even in a case such as this, was rather disturbing at the same time that it was wonderful. But she knew he was only helping her out of the necessity for speed. He couldn't possibly feel anything more for her than a friend. And she wasn't about to let herself get carried away in day dreams of being in his arms like that for always, knowing he didn't feel the same.

Although Amanda protested, Lee could see how hard walking on that ankle was, but he also knew she'd not allow him to pick her back up unless there was no choice, and oddly enough, he found himself wishing there wasn't. He didn't want to give it much thought, but he kind of liked having her in his arms. It felt right for some reason.

Shaking that thought from his head as soon as it appeared, Lee turned back to the door and opened it. "Alright then. Come on."

Once they finally reached the street, Lee hailed another cab and gave the driver the address of a café where they were to meet Billy's friend. As the cab pulled away from the curb, Lee watched the traffic all around them, making sure they didn't have a tail.

Satisfied that they didn't, he finally sat back and looked at the passing scenery. New York at Christmas time sure was beautiful, with the stores and even the streets decorated for the holiday. The falling snow only added to the ambience. Looking over at Amanda, he could see she was too nervous to enjoy the scenery. "Amanda," he reached for her hand. "Relax, will ya. It's going to be okay. We'll get this straightened out."

Although Amanda forced a smile to her face, she was still scared. If what Lee thought was true, they were literally on the run from both the mafia as well as the police. Still, looking over at the calm, reassuring fortress that was her partner, Amanda couldn't help but feel a little better. In the year since she'd met him, he'd saved her life countless times. And she had no doubt he'd do it again if necessary.

Looking out of the taxi's window, she didn't see the pretty Christmas decorations or the beautiful white snow. She saw a gray sky and obstacles galore in front of them. She sure hoped it wasn't necessary.

TBC


	10. Chapter 10

**A Christmas to Remember 10**

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**(December 24 - Morning)**

The small diner was gaily decorated with a Charlie Brown tree in the corner covered with tinsel and garland galore lining every surface possible. It even had Bing Crosby singing White Christmas and a sprig of mistletoe hung above the doorway. Both Lee and Amanda hurried past the hanging greenery, as though it would reach down and draw them back for a kiss.

"Well, good morning, folks." The bleached blond waitress, with a name tag that said Beverly, greeted them with a cheery smile as she approached the Formica topped table they'd chosen. "Kinda cold outside. Can I get ya some hot cocoa or coffee or something?"

"Uh, yes…" Lee answered looking over at Amanda for confirmation. "How about some coffee, please?" He glanced over at Amanda. "How about you?"

"Yes," Amanda nodded. "Coffee will be fine." She waited for the waitress to move away before adding, "I don't think I could eat. My stomach's in knots right now."

Lee reached over and clasped the hand she'd laid on the table top, before he realized what he was doing and withdrew it. "Amanda, calm down. It's alright. We'll be fine."

Amanda didn't share his conviction. "I don't know, Lee. I still don't understand why Billy can't call someone or send someone after us or something. It's not like we're hardened criminals or running from the law. We're supposed to be the good guys."

Lee nodded. "I know that and Billy knows that. But it's like I told you last night. Since all of this has nothing to do with why you were sent here, as far as we know anyway, and I'm here against Smyth's orders, Billy has been forbidden to issue us any sort of official help. But that doesn't mean he's not going to do what he can unofficially. When his friend gets here, we'll…"

Lee stopped mid-sentence, his eyes scanning the interior of the small diner and then looked outside.

Amanda was instantly on-guard. By now, she knew when Lee was alarmed by something. "What's wrong?" She asked, her voice holding a small tremble.

Lee didn't answer as he looked at the waitress approaching with their coffee. "Uh, ma'am, could you tell my wife here where the restroom is? She's feeling a little sick at her stomach, the baby you know."

Amanda was a little taken back by his ruse but she kept quiet. She understood that he had a reason for it. Grabbing her stomach, she made good his words by moaning and throwing her hand across her mouth.

"Oh, dear." The waitress murmured. "Of course, honey. You just go right on back there behind the counter and into the kitchen. There's a small washroom just right by the back door. It ain't much but it's all we've got."

"Uh, sweetheart." Amanda looked over at Lee. "Can you help me please? My ankle is hurting really bad." She looked up at the waitress as Lee rose from his seat and helped her up. "I hurt my ankle, see, and well, it's not really bad, but you know, it hurts and well, my husband here, he can help me, I mean, well, he has to help me because it hurts to walk, well, it doesn't hurt to walk so much that I can't walk. I can walk, it just hurts. You know?"

Beverly didn't reply as she watched Lee help Amanda to her feet and then wrap an arm around her waist, hustling her quickly behind the counter and into the kitchen beyond. "And my husband calls me a motor mouth." She shook head. "He should meet her."

Once Lee got Amanda to the back of the small building, he directed her towards the small bathroom and the door leading to the outside. Without a word, he opened the backdoor and ushered her back out into the cold, ignoring the stare of the cook who was watching them. "Come on." He told her drawing her down the small alley behind the eatery. "I'm pretty sure we were about to get some company in there and it wasn't company we were expecting."

"Lee! You don't think…" Amanda didn't want to believe what she was thinking.

"Yes, I do," Lee answered. "Either Billy's friend set us up or they found us somehow, but either way, we can't stay there."

"Then where are we going?" Amanda asked, limping beside him, trying hard to keep up with his long legged stride.

"I don't know, yet." Lee admitted. "But right now we just need to get as far away from here as we can."

As he spoke, a car could be heard from behind them. Lee knew with Amanda's ankle, they'd not be able to run and even if he carried her, they'd still not be able to get very far. Even if they managed to hide, the newly fallen snow would reveal their path.

Knowing of nothing else he could do, Lee suddenly grabbed Amanda and pulled her to him. Whirling her around, he pushed her against the side of the building and then pressed his self tightly against her, wrapping his long coat around the both of them. If they were lucky the passing driver would think it was just a couple doing business.

"Lee…" Amanda started to question, but Lee pressed his mouth down on hers, cutting off any further protests. As she melted into the kiss, Amanda's thoughts were on nothing but Lee and how it felt to have him pressed against her, his lips on hers.

When the car passed, Lee pulled back, leaving them both a bit breathless. Although he, for just a split second, thought of taking another kiss, he knew he couldn't; shouldn't do so, no matter how tempting. Taking a look around, Lee grabbed Amanda's hand. "Come on." He told her. "We've got to get out of sight."

Amanda numbly nodded her head, unable to speak for the moment as ran her tongue over her slightly swollen lips. "Gosh, that man can kiss." She thought.

Hurrying through that alley, Lee saw a small curio shop that had just opened up at the end and he quickly pulled Amanda into it. Trying not to look too obvious, they wandered deeper into the shop and towards the back, finally finding a vantage spot where they could see the front window without being seen themselves.

"Well," a man spoke up from behind them. A tiny bell at the top of the door had alerted him of their entry. "Customers already! And how are you two, this fine cold morning? Doing a little last minute Christmas shopping?"

Amanda turned to find an older man, full head of iron gray hair, mustache to match with faded blue eyes and small round spectacles perched at the end of his nose, smiling genially at her. "Uh… yes." She smiled back in return.

The short little man reminded her of Doc Adams on Gunsmoke and she instantly felt at ease with him. "My husband and I just thought we'd pick up just a few more things. You know, for our kids and family and all. I mean we… we've bought them all something but well, you know, you can't ever have too much."

Lee glanced over at the man and then at Amanda, grateful she was keeping the old shop owner busy. He'd seen a car roll slowly down the street outside, turn around and come back. The speed could be attributed to the snow covered street but not the craning of the driver's neck as he intently scanned the area.

"You all looking for something in particular?" The older gentleman asked Amanda, he noticed Lee's scrutiny of the street outside but decided against asking why. Sometimes it was better to mind your own business. Help if you could, but don't interfere if you can't, was his motto.

Lee ignored his question as he continued to look outside, but Amanda shook her head politely. "Uh… no. No, we're just looking."

The old man nodded towards Lee as he scrubbed his mustache for a moment. "I can see that." He noticed Amanda shift off of her hurt ankle with a slight grimace. "You alright? You look like you're hurt. Maybe you need a doctor or something?"

Amanda shook her head. "Oh, I'm alright. Just twisted my ankle a little bit. Thank you, though."

"You sure? I'm not a doctor but I was a medic back in the army. I'd be glad to look at that for you."

"Oh, no." Amanda shook her head. "But thank you."

Turning back towards his counter, he shrugged. "Well, if I can help you, just holler. I'll be over here."

"Okay," Amanda smiled at him. "Thank you, Mister…?"

"Adams," the old man answered with a grin and a tug of his earlobe and then moved away before Amanda could say anything else. Looking at him as he walked away, Amanda started to say something to Lee about the coincidence of the old man looking like a fictional character with the same last name.

But she never got the chance.

Lee suddenly grabbed her hand and pulled her down towards the floor just as she heard the small bell attached to the door chime and heavy footsteps could be heard entering the store.

TBC


	11. Chapter 11

**A Christmas to Remember 11**

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**(December 24 - Morning)**

For an old man, the shop owner, Adams, moved surprisingly fast across the shop, meeting the man, who'd entered, at the door.

"Good morning!" He greeted him cheerfully. "What brings you out on this cold and snowy morning?"

"I'm looking for someone," a gruff voice answered. "Saw footprints leading in here."

"Oh, well," Adams answered, moving ever so subtly to his left to block the man from progressing further into his shop. "That'd be me and my helper. We got just here a few minutes ago." Adams was thinking of his motto and he realized this was one of those times that he could help. For some reason the young couple struck him as worthy of that help and he was bound and determined to deliver it.

"Your helper?" The tall, dark headed man asked looking around. His black fedora hat with the drooping feather in the band was cocked over one eye, giving him a sinister look that Adams didn't much care for.

"Yes, my helper." The old man replied, once again countering the man's movement. "He just now left to run an errand for me. Can I be of any help?"

In the back of the store, Lee realized, the old shopkeeper was giving them a chance and he smiled at the man's bravery. Slipping one of his cards out of his pocket, Lee left it face down on the floor and took Amanda's hand, jerking his head to the back.

Amanda could hardly walk on her injured ankle standing up; she sure couldn't do it in a crouch. But she knew she could crawl, and crawl she did, rapidly behind Lee until they were behind the curtained off area in the back. Swiftly, Lee pulled her to her feet and then half carried her out of the building through the back door.

"We sure are spending an awful lot of time in alleys this morning." Amanda remarked.

Lee nodded. "Yeah, and that's a habit I'd like to break. Let's get out of here and see if we can find a phone to call Billy. Maybe he'll know why his friend didn't show up and the mob did."

Mr. Adams had a mirror above the front door that showed a view of the back. Once he saw the curtain move, he knew the young couple would be out and safe. Stalling the creep in front of him for a few more minutes, he finally moved away and allowed the man to make a quick sweep of the small store. "Satisfied?" He asked when the man returned from the back.

"Yeah," the goon replied as he walked out the store and slammed the door behind him, leaving Mr. Adams to chuckle at the stupidity of the modern mobster.

After everyone had finally left, Mr. Adams bent down and picked up a small white card lying on the floor where the young couple had been. Smiling to himself, he tucked it into his pocket and patted the pocket.

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**(December 24 – afternoon)**

Amanda sat at the back of a Marvelous Marvin's, her head low and covered by a scarf Lee had purchased for her at a small dime store on a nameless corner. Her ankle was screaming and she was exhausted. She had seen so many alleys in New York, she thought she might be able to conduct a tour if called to it.

Lee had bought her a hamburger and fries, leaving her to eat it while he went in search of a payphone to call Billy. Despite not having eaten anything since the previous day, as well as cheated out of her coffee this morning, Amanda wasn't really hungry. She took a halfhearted bite of the hamburger and managed a couple of the fries, but pushed the rest away, settling for the choco blocko shake.

Looking around at the all of the people, who'd waited until today to finish up their Christmas shopping, Amanda felt a pang of grief, knowing she most likely wouldn't be home for Christmas this year. This year she would most likely spend running, or in her case hobbling, down one alley after another, while her mother and boys celebrated alone, wondering where she was. It was enough to make her cry, but she managed to keep from it, barely.

"You really need to eat something." Lee said as he sat down across from her and eyed her uneaten food.

"I guess I'm not really hungry." Amanda shrugged. "Did you get a hold of Mr. Melrose?"

"Yes, what good it did me." Lee said with no small amount of irritation. "He had no answer as to why his friend didn't show up. He said he'd try again to get a hold of him and I'm supposed to call him back in a couple of hours."

Amanda shook her head ruefully. "Lee, I don't understand any of this. I don't understand why those men took me or why they're chasing us or why we can't just go home and forget all of this. Can't we just get on a plane and leave? Let the monsters here have it."

Lee had to smile at that. "First off, they're mobsters, not monsters. Although I think the description is apt. Secondly, we go anywhere near the airport or train station and they'll be on us in a heartbeat. I think Captain Lewis is mixed up in this somehow and he's probably got people looking for us. Besides, right now, I don't think we should risk leaving a trail with credit cards and I don't have the cash for a ticket home, do you?"

Amanda dropped her head and shook it. "No," she answered quietly.

With a deep sigh, Lee got up and moved into the seat beside Amanda, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. "Hey. Look Amanda, cheer up, will you? It's Christmas Eve and we're in New York, the prettiest place in the world this time of year. Tell you what, why don't we blow this place and go sightseeing. Huh? We won't have much money until we get in contact with Billy's friend, but there's lot of things and places we can go that are free. You want to?"

Amanda knew what he was trying to do and she was grateful for his trying. "What about the men looking for us?"

"The best place to hide sometimes is in plain sight." Lee told her. "So what do you say?"

Looking up at him, she shrugged. "Alright."

TBC


	12. Chapter 12

**A Christmas to Remember 12**

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**Author's Note: ****Please bear in mind that I have never been to New York City and the most I know of it comes from watching the Macy's Parade and Law and Order. ****So it's entirely possible that I've got all kinds of things wrong in my descriptions of the city and its Christmas events and sights.**

**(December 24 – Afternoon)**

Amanda sat beside Lee in the horse drawn carriage, as it wended its way around Central Park, reveling in the intoxicating rush she felt at having him beside her like this. Logically, she knew there was nothing romantic in his attentions to her, he was simply being her friend and working partner. But it still felt mighty good.

As he sat beside her in the carriage, listening to her exclaim over the sights and sounds of the Big Apple at Christmas time, Lee constantly reminded himself that this was Amanda, his friend and co-worker, not his girlfriend or anything close to that. But still, when he looked over at the beautiful brunette beside him and saw the delight in her eyes at something she'd seen or heard, his heart beat just a little faster.

They had been all over New York in the last few hours. They had viewed the Christmas displays in the many shop windows, toured the few museums that were open and even visited a large church on the Upper East Side and simply sat in the back, enjoying the peaceful atmosphere and the soft carols being played.

Of course, neither one forgot the real and present danger they were in. And Lee never let down his guard, watching everyone and everything around them. But it was nice to just sit quietly and relax for a few moments.

When the carriage finally rolled to a stop, Lee got out and reached up, pulling Amanda down from the carriage. "Where should we go now?" Amanda asked, leaning against the carriage as Lee paid the driver.

Looking down at his nearly empty wallet, Lee shrugged. "Some place free and warm. When I called Billy, he said he still couldn't get in touch with his friend and until he does, we're kind of adrift here. But it's getting colder and it's starting to snow again and I'd like to find a place to get you off that foot."

"Oh, I'm alright." Amanda protested. "It doesn't hurt that bad. But you are right. We do need to go somewhere."

"You could go ice skating. I know of a nice, indoor rink near here." The carriage driver piped up behind them before he caught the scowl on Lee's face and the limp Amanda still bore. "Uh, guess that's not too good an idea, huh?"

Lee declined to reply. Turning back to Amanda he started to suggest perhaps a quiet, out of the way restaurant where they could get some coffee and rest. But the gray headed driver pitched in again. "You could go caroling." He said raising his hand to wave off Lee's retort. "You don't have to walk or anything. They have caroling at the Arch at Washington Square on 5th Ave and all you have to do is sit and sing." He grinned over at Amanda. "Bet you can sing like an angel."

Amanda blushed and dropped her head. "Only when I've been drinking vodka and there are gunmen outside." She muttered.

"Huh?" The man didn't quite hear what she'd said.

"Oh, nothing." She answered. "Thank you for that idea, it sounds nice. We might try that."

"You're welcome." He smiled happily. "As a matter of fact, I could drive you over there. You two were my last fare of the day and I don't usually eat till a little later." Suddenly his eyes lit up and he laid a finger against his ruddy cheek in thought, blue eyes twinkling. "You know, I've got an idea. Why don't you two come with me? We'll have us a nice meal and then we'll all go to the caroling together."

"Oh, no." Both Lee and Amanda said in unison. "We couldn't do that." Amanda finished.

Lee nodded in agreement. "We… uh, we appreciate that… but Mr. uh…"

"My names Harvey." The man interrupted Lee by putting his large hand out to shake. "And if you've got some place else to go, well then, I guess I'll take you there. But if you don't, why not come with me? I promise it'll be good food and you'll enjoy yourselves." Seeing the smallest hesitations on their faces, he pressed them further. "Aw, come on. I promise, you'll love the food and it's free and you'll be inside where it's warm and safe."

He hadn't mentioned it, but he'd noticed the way both of them had been constantly scanning the area around them. To Harvey, they looked scared and lost and he considered it his calling in life to take care of scared and lost souls, wherever and whenever he found them.

Lee looked down at Amanda. She'd been through the ringer in the last few days and he knew she was tired and probably hungry. And he was positive she was as cold as he was. Besides, something about Harvey felt right. He had a feeling he could trust the tall, slightly paunchy, older man. "Alright." He sighed as he helped Amanda back into the carriage and climbed in beside her. "We're with you, Harvey."

That night, after checking in once again with Billy, Lee and Amanda spent two very enjoyable hours in the soup kitchen of Saint Catherine's church, eating the best food they could remember and chatting with Father Harvey O'Leary, the parish priest. Over a warm piece of apple pie he explained that during this time of year, the carriage rides were a way of bringing in extra funds to the church. The volunteer, who usually drove the carriage, had called him early that morning, desperately ill and he'd had to rush him to the hospital and then take the carriage himself.

"But it was no problem," he grinned. "I love driving that carriage. Its fun and I get to meet a lot of nice people, like you two. People who are in trouble and need help."

Lee looked up sharply at the priest's words then over at Amanda. She paled suddenly. "Uh… who said we were in trouble?" Lee asked.

"No one." Harvey smiled. "But then you didn't need to. I can tell a lot by the way people carry themselves and act. I knew…"

Just then a young woman who volunteered in the kitchen came up and approached their table. "Father O'Leary? There's a phone call for you. The man says it's awfully important that he speak with you."

"Did he give you his name?" O'Leary looked concerned at the news. "No, sir." The young woman shook her blond hair ruefully. "He didn't and I'm afraid it's not the only time he's called today. He called last night as well and left a message asking you to help some friends of his."

Harvey looked a mite irritated. "Why didn't you tell me about this before?"

The young woman reddened and dropped her head. "I'm sorry. I didn't know about the call last night. Harold took that message and just tacked it to the bulletin board. His calls today just completely slipped my mind. But he's still on the phone now if you want to speak to him."

O'Leary was instantly on his feet. "Lee, Amanda, I'll be right back."

TBC


	13. Chapter 13

**A Christmas to Remember 13**

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**(December 24 – Early Evening)**

Amanda noticed an odd look on Lee's face when the young woman gave the father his message. "Lee…?"

Lee didn't give her a chance to finish before he was on his feet and following the priest into the small parish office.

Confused, Amanda got up and hobbled along behind Lee. They arrived in the office just as the priest picked up the phone.

"Hello? ….. Hey, my friend. How are you? … … … … … No, not until just now. It slipped Betty's mind. I'm sorry about that. … … … … Well, I don't want you to have to worry about that. … Why?" He glanced over at Lee and Amanda. "Because, they're here with me now." Father O'Leary chuckled before turning serious again. "I know. It's a long story, Billy, but they're with me now and I'll make sure they're safe… … … … … … … Sure, sure. Hang on." He placed the phone against his chest and looked over at Lee. "He'd like to speak to you."

Amanda looked at both men before her with total surprise. "Billy? You mean Mr. Melrose?" She asked Lee.

Lee simply nodded as he took the phone, a little surprised himself to find that his boss's friend had found them after all, or at least that they had found him. "Hi, uh, Billy. … … Yeah, yeah, she's here and she's okay." he looked over at her. "Well, except for a sprained ankle. … … … Long story. … … … … … … … … … … … … yeah, really? … … … … … … You're kidding me. … … Billy, that's great…. … … … Okay… … … … okay, I'll tell her…. … what?... … … … Oh, yeah. You too, Billy. And thanks. … … … … Okay."

He handed the phone back to Father O'Leary as he turned to Amanda with a smile on his face. "How would you like to go home?" He asked her.

"Home?" Amanda was almost afraid to hope. "Really? How?"

"By plane." Lee grinned. "While we've been taking a tour of New York, Billy's been working. He quietly got in contact with the Agency office here and got a couple of our agents working. Turns out, I was right about Lewis. Dirty as they come and in bed with Abbatelli. Billy's pretty sure he sent those hoods to follow us when we left the police station. He says it's a good thing we made ourselves scarce today, because Lewis has been looking hard for us."

Amanda looked confused. "But, I thought Dr. Smyth forbid Mr. Melrose to help."

"He did." Lee smiled. "Officially. But he didn't say Billy couldn't do anything unofficially. And he didn't say Billy couldn't use agents not directly under his supervision. So he called in a couple of favors and got some people here to working on it. They think there's more than just Lewis on the take but so far they don't know who else. In the meantime, Billy thinks it'll be safe enough for you to go home."

"Well," Amanda swallowed hard. "Did they arrest Captain Lewis or something?"

Lee shook his head. "No. Not yet. Most of the information we have so far on him is circumstantial based on an informant in the police station. But the office here has some good leads and they are working on getting this thing resolved. Now, what we need to do is to arrange a flight for you home. You'll be going under an assumed name on a private flight, but one of our people will go with you, so there shouldn't be any problems."

"Alone?" Amanda asked with a hint of trepidation in her voice.

"No." Lee repeated. "With one of our agents. I'll need to stay and work with the team here to put a stop to Lewis and Abbatelli and see if we can find out who else is involved in this. But there's no need for you to stay."

"Oh… well, I… I see." Amanda dropped her head. She really didn't want to go anywhere without him. Though she was loath to admit it, she was afraid to be without him by her side. "I guess… well, if that's the way it has to be."

"Billy is arranging your flight now, Amanda." Father O'Leary said as he hung up the phone. "An agent will meet us there to escort you home. I'll go get the parish car and drive you myself to make sure you get there safely."

Glumly Amanda sighed. "Alright." Turning back to Lee she pasted on a fake smile. "Well, uh, thank you, Lee, for everything. I mean the carriage ride and the Marvelous Marvin's burger and…"

Lee shook his head. "You have nothing to thank me for. It was just part of the job."

Amanda sighed, feeling even worse, knowing that to him, she was only another case. "Oh, okay. I see."

Lee saw her expression and suddenly realized how that sounded. "Uh, Amanda, I didn't mean it that way. I mean, yes, it was my job to come and get you, but I would've done it even if it hadn't of been."

Amanda's countenance brightened and she looked up at him. "You would've?" She asked, a small smile forming.

"Sure," Lee answered, impulsively taking her hand. "I mean we're friends after all and partners. Besides, there's a lot of filing and typing back at the office that needs to be done and," he offered her his brightest smile, "no body else can do it, like you can."

Amanda rolled her eyes and pulled her hand from his. "So that's the real reason you came for me? So I could go home to type and file?" Her voice took an edge of irritation.

"Well, yes, I mean, no." Lee automatically realized he'd done it again. "I mean, that's part of it but…"

"Well, are you ready to go, Amanda?" Father O'Leary walked back in.

"I sure am." Amanda huffed. "I need to go home so I can get my filing and typing done."

"Amanda…" Lee tried but she waved him off.

"Goodbye, Lee." She turned and limped off without looking back.

O'Leary looked at Lee with puzzlement. "She sounded a little upset."

"Yeah," Lee shrugged. "I think I stuck my foot in my mouth."

"Ahhh." O'Leary suddenly understood. "Tell you what, Lee. Although I'm positive, no one knows I'll be taking Amanda to the airport, it wouldn't hurt to have a little extra security on the way there. Why don't you ride with us. Could give you a little time to pull your foot out of your mouth."

Lee grinned and nodded. "Thank you, Father. I think I will."

TBC


	14. Chapter 14

**A Christmas to Remember 14**

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**(December 24 – Evening)**

Amanda sat quietly in the front seat of the parish car saying nothing as Father O'Leary drove her to the airport. Lee sat in the backseat, trying desperately to figure out a way to tell her that he'd come because he cared and not just because it was his job or that he needed her to do office work. But he kept putting his foot in his mouth and so, he too sat quietly.

O'Leary took a look at Lee's pensive face in the rearview mirror. A glance at the lady beside him showed him the same expression. With a shake of his head, he decided to see if he could lighten the mood. "So, Amanda, I'm sure you'll be glad to get home in time to spend Christmas day with your family."

Amanda nodded, her expression softening as she thought of Phillip and Jamie. "Yes, Sir. I wasn't supposed to be gone that long. I know they're probably worried and wondering what happened to me."

"Well, don't worry about that." Lee spoke up. "Francine called your mother and told her you were stuck at Alcatraz due to bad weather. She said your mother wasn't too happy about it but she accepted the explanation."

"Oh," Amanda said simply, without turning to look at Lee.

Lee took a deep breath. She wasn't going to make it easy. "Amanda…"

"Well, we're here." O'Leary interrupted him as he pulled up in front of the airport terminal.

Stifling a groan at being interrupted, Lee quickly got out of the car and opened Amanda's door, extending a hand to help out. But Amanda ignored it and pulled herself out of the vehicle, moving past Lee without a word.

Shaking his head in irritation, Lee slammed the door shut and followed after her. "Amanda, wait up. Don't just take off like that. Until I hand you off to the other agent, I need you to stay by my side."

"Oh , that's right." She snapped. "It's hard to find a good typist, isn't it?"

"Amanda, that's not what I…" But once again he was interrupted.

"Lee?" Amanda said, taking an instinctive step closer to him when she saw a tall blond man with a mustache rapidly approaching them.

Lee took the opportunity to wrap his arm around her waist and pull her close. "It's alright." He reassured her. "That's Bill Mannon, he's the agent that will be escorting you back home."

"Oh," Amanda answered, as she relaxed into his embrace. His arm around her felt so good, no matter how mad she was at him. But all too soon he removed it as Agent Mannon reached them.

"Scarecrow." He greeted him with a deep voice, wide grin and an outstretched hand. "Good to see you. And this must be Mrs. King." He turned his grin on Amanda, his blue eyes raking her body, making her inwardly cringe for some reason. Were Lee to give her the same look, she'd melt. But this man just made her skin crawl.

She knew he was on their side, but there was just something about him that didn't feel right. However, she didn't have time to sort it out right then.

"Well, you about ready to go home?" He asked as he took a step closer to her and replaced Lee's arm with his own, making her shudder and Lee want to punch him.

"Sure." She answered half heartedly as she pulled away from him. Turning back to Lee, she gave him a nod and a brief smile. "Bye, Lee. I'll see you back in Washington."

"Sure will." Lee smiled. "As soon as I get this mess cleaned up, I'll be home."

"That may be a while, Stetson." Mannon chimed in. "Not everybody is as willing to help the law as that old shop owner Adams was."

"Yeah, well." Lee shrugged it off. "We'll still get em. Don't worry about that. You just take care of Amanda."

"I will." Mannon answered him. "I'll take good care of her." Looking back over at Amanda he took her hand and started off to his left. "Come along, Mrs. King. Let's get you out of here."

Mannon started walking quickly away, with a firm hold of Amanda's hand and she had little chance to do more than look back at Lee, before Mannon pulled her out of sight. Lee watched them walk away with an uneasy feeling but he wasn't sure why.

Trying to shake it off, he turned and headed back out to the car where Father O'Leary still waited.

"Did Amanda get off alright?" The father asked as Lee settled into the car beside him.

"Yeah," Lee answered distractedly. "Agent by the name of Mannon hustled her out."

"Well, good." The father said as he started the car. "Maybe she'll get home in time to do some midnight shopping for her boys."

_Shopping!_

That word struck Lee with force and suddenly he understood what was bothering him. Mannon had mentioned the old man in the shop helping them. But Lee had never told that to anyone, nor had Amanda. Not even to Billy or Father O'Leary.

"AMANDA!" He suddenly yelled as he threw the door open and jumped out of the car. "Father, call Billy and tell him I need some back up here. I think I know who's been helping the mob."

"What…?" But it was too late to ask anything more. Lee 's lanky frame was already racing back inside and across the terminal in the direction he had seen Mannon taking Amanda.

TBC


	15. Chapter 15

**A Christmas to Remember 15**

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**(December 24 – Evening)**

As Agent Mannon pulled her along, Amanda looked around uncertainly at her surroundings. Lee had said they would be flying back on a private plane, so she didn't expect that they would be heading towards the main terminals but it didn't look to her like they were going anywhere near any plane.

"Uh, Agent Mannon." Amanda tried unsuccessfully to pull her hand out of his grasp. "Where are we going? I thought we were taking a private plane to Washington."

"Plans have changed." Mannon told her as he gripped her hand painfully tight and drug her quickly through several doors and into a large empty hanger. Finally, he let go of her as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a gun. "You unfortunately, will not be going home. I have some associates coming shortly who will take you in hand and I will return to our office and tell the sad story of how I let you use the ladies room alone and you never came out. Or some such story."

Amanda swallowed hard. "You… you're one of… them?"

Mannon grinned. "Yes, Amanda." He moved closer to her and ran a hand down the side of her face. "You know you really are quite lovely. It's a shame you have to die."

**SMK**

Lee ran as hard as he could in the direction Mannon had taken Amanda, but they were completely out of sight. He had asked several people along the way and a couple had pointed in the direction of the hangars on the north side but that wasn't enough to narrow it down and Lee had a sinking feeling he need to find her fast.

"Hey, son." An elderly woman motioned to him from her post behind a newspaper stand. "You looking for a blond man and pretty brunette?"

Lee was on her in an instant. "Where did they go? Where did he take her." It crossed his mind that this was probably a set up and she could be sending him into a trap, but right then, he didn't care. He wanted to find Amanda and he would do whatever it took to do so.

"Hangar Three." The woman whispered, suddenly pretending she hadn't said a word and refusing to look at him.

Lee looked around him, and saw two men with black hair and polyester suits walking past and heading towards the hangars. Lee understood.

"What's the quickest way to get there?" He asked quietly.

"Through the door behind me. Turn left and take the door at the end of the hall. Once outside turn right. Second building." She answered just as quietly.

Lee watched the two men for a moment to make sure they hadn't seen him, then quickly made his way out through the door, following the old woman's directions.

When he got close to the hangar's side door he saw it was standing open and he heard Amanda's voice. "I don't understand. Why do you want to kill me. I don't know you people, and I don't know this place and I've only been to New York once before on Thanksgiving to bring my kids here, you know for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. You know, I have two little boys and a mother and a mortgage, well you may not have known but I do and I don't know anything about this and you have no reason to keep me here, well obviously you think you do but you don't and well, I…"

"Shut up!" Mannon yelled at her. "Do you always talk this much?"

"When I'm nervous." Amanda answered in a small voice. "And right now, I'm nervous, I'm very nervous. This is... it... this just doesn't make sense."

"Yes it does." Mannon answered, making sure to keep his pistol on Amanda.

Lee was getting ready to come in when he heard what Mannon said, and paused, wanting to see what he would say.

"You were just in the wrong place at the wrong time." Mannon shrugged. "At the same time you were to deliver your message, another courier from a different source was supposed to deliver a package full of betting slips to the same place. The people I work for, wanted that package very badly, only it wasn't in the restroom and only you and another woman were seen. The other woman didn't have so much as a purse so they figured you had to be the courier they were expecting."

Amanda was still having trouble figuring it out. "But you work for the agency. Didn't you know I was here? Couldn't you have told them I wasn't their courier?"

"I didn't know you were here at first. Our office wasn't informed of anything. I think Smyth had suspicions that someone here was working for more than just the Agency, but he didn't know who. That's probably why he sent you here. You're under the wire most of the time. Although we have heard a few things about you, none of us knew you. He figured if you got caught or anything, it wouldn't be that big of a loss."

Amanda dropped her eyes at that, it hurt to know that Smyth thought so little of her contributions to the Agency. For just a second she wondered if Mr. Melrose felt that way about her, but then she remembered all that he and Lee had done, against rules, to find her and she knew better.

"Of course, the irony of this whole thing is, you probably would've been taken, even if we did know who you were." Mannon smirked. "I have more than one outside employer, you know. And the KGB would love to have you. If I had time, I'd see what I could do to make such a sale, but alas, I don't. "

"You're right about that, Pal." Lee said as he stepped into the hangar, gun raised and pointed at Mannon. "You are completely out of time. Now, drop your gun. Amanda, come over here."

Amanda didn't need to be told twice. Quickly she started towards Lee as her captor dropped his gun, but as she started towards him, Mannon reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling her to him, wrapping his arm around her throat.

"I'll kill her, Scarecrow." He threatened. "You know I will. I'll snap her neck in an instant. Now you drop your gun and kick it over here."

Amanda swallowed hard, trying to catch her breath but Mannon's arm was wrapped too tightly and with some dismay, she saw Lee begin to lower his arm. She had to do something. Suddenly remembering something Francine had told her, she raised her uninjured leg and kicked back hard, into Mannon's shin, while at the same time, jabbing her elbow into his ribs.

Mannon shrieked and instantly let go of her, just as Lee threw himself on top of him. Despite the damage Amanda had done, Mannon easily blocked Lee's first attempted punch, but Lee quickly connected with a solid right to Mannon's jaw. Mannon fell back but he came back with his own right cross. Lee ducked that and punched him hard in the midsection. As Mannon started to fall, he grabbed for Lee and pulled him down with him.

Amanda, having fallen when the two men first started fighting, finally got to her feet just in time to see two men headed their way. The hangar's over head doors were closed, but the side door was still wide open. Quickly, Amanda hobbled over to the door and slammed it shut, locking it. But the lock was flimsy and she knew it wouldn't hold. Looking around she saw a large bar, leaning against the wall. As fast as she could, she grabbed it and jammed it under the door knob, just as the men began to kick at the door, trying to break it down.

Back on the floor, Mannon had managed to get Lee on his back and was trying desperately to get his hands around Lee's neck. Amanda started forward to help Lee when she heard the door splintering. A quick look confirmed the men weren't too far from gaining entry.

Amanda hurried back towards the door and threw her slight weight against it, realizing quickly, it wasn't enough. Normally she would have called for Lee but he was a little too busy. One of the men outside had managed to make a hole in the upper part of the door and was reaching his hand through. Amanda grabbed his hand and bit it, causing him to pull it back with a cry of pain.

In the meantime, Lee had managed to dislodge Mannon from his chest and roll them both so that he was on top. Two mighty punches and Lee finally had Mannon knocked out.

Seeing that Lee was now free to help her, Amanda screamed. "Lee!"

Lee's head swiveled towards the door just in time to see the door burst open, throwing Amanda back as two men entered.

TBC


	16. Chapter 16

**A Christmas to Remember 16**

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**(December 24 – Evening)**

As the door burst open, Amanda flew back, practically landing in Lee's arms. Setting her on her feet, Lee quickly pushed her behind him, watching the two men as they entered. He had lost his gun in the fight with Mannon and he really couldn't see anything close by that he could use as a weapon. But he wasn't just going to stand there without putting up some sort of fight.

However, looking at the two, he wasn't sure he'd be able to do too much. Though not the two men he'd seen a few minutes earlier in the terminal, these two looked even more fearsome. Both of them were tall and muscular and mean looking. Lee was no lightweight, but he looked like one compared to these two in their cheap suits and slicked back hair.

"Alright, HOLD IT!" Lee demanded as though he were in charge with a gun in his hand. "Not another step closer."

The two men glanced at each other as the taller of the two raised his hand and started to reach into his pocket.

"I said hold it." Lee yelled with as much authority in his voice as he could muster. "Who are you?"

"I'm just going to pull out my badge." The man said pleadingly.

Amanda popped her head around Lee's shoulder and both she and Lee responded in unison. "Badge?"

"Federal Agents." The other man answered as he too pulled out his badge. "Now, why don't you tell us what this is all about?"

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Lee sat slumped in the emergency room waiting room, pensively waiting for word on Amanda while sipping a cup of bitter coffee. Only he couldn't really taste the coffee and his patience for waiting was about to give out. He had gone to the front desk several times but each time was told to wait. Nothing else would they tell him because he wasn't a relative.

After showing his own badge to the agents who'd busted into the hangar and explaining why he had just knocked out another agent and left him lying on the ground, Lee learned that Father O'Leary had rushed to a payphone and called for backup when Lee had taken off for Amanda.

The two agents, Rank and Chapman, had been close by when they got the call about an agent needing help. The two men, that Mannon had been expecting, were arrested by airport security not long after.

Although Amanda protested that she was fine and that her ankle really didn't hurt that bad, Lee and Father O'Leary insisted she have it x-rayed when they noticed that her limp and gotten much worse. She didn't tell them that she had twisted it again when the two agents had busted in and literally thrown her backwards. But she didn't need to; the grimace on her face, with every step, was enough for them to know.

"Lee?" Lee looked up to see Father Harvey O'Leary threading his way down the hall towards him. "How's Amanda?"

Lee shrugged. "She's still in x-ray. They won't tell me anything because I'm not family."

"Wait, here." O'Leary told him. Walking over to the desk, he had a brief conversation with the young woman at the desk before returning to Lee with a smile on his face. "Amanda's going to fine. Her ankle is badly sprained and she's going to be on crutches for a few days, but it's not broken and aside from a few bruises she has nothing else wrong with her."

Lee looked at him in amazement. "How'd you…?"

"People will tell a priest just about anything." O'Leary grinned at him.

Lee shook his head and took a deep breath. He was glad Amanda would be alright. The thought of anything happening to her was too much to bear. But he knew it'd been a close thing. If he hadn't of stopped Mannon when he did…"

"Lee?" O'Leary reached out and tapped him on the shoulder when he didn't at first respond. "Did you hear me? I talked to Billy. He's going to coordinate with Agent Chapman to get things straightened out and he wants you and Amanda on that flight home, post haste."

"Why me?" Lee asked. "There's still a lot of things that need to be done here. I mean Mannon wasn't the only one involved in this. What about Lewis and…"

Billy told me to tell you, he will see to it. Apparently Dr. Smyth found out that you came here to find Amanda and he's not too happy about it. He's not saying anything though, because you two did manage to take down a rogue agent as well as a bad cop and some very prominent mobsters. But he won't remain silent for too long, if you get my meaning."

Lee nodded with a sigh. "Yeah, I get it. I just wish I could be in on all of it."

"You're already in on all of it." O'Leary grinned. "I talked to Agent Chapman as well as Billy. He's going to see that you and Amanda both get a letter of commendation for your work on this. As far as he and everyone else is concerned, you two did the hard work. The rest is just mop up and they can take care of that for you."

Lee gave O'Leary a grateful smile. "Father, I don't know what Amanda or I would've done without you. I can't tell you how much I appreciate it."

"No need for that." O'Leary shook his head. "The way I look at it, we're both in the same business, fighting evil. We do it in different ways, but we do it. All I was doing was helping out a fellow agent, so to speak."

Lee put out his hand and warmly shook the Father's. "Glad you're on my team, Father."

"He is?" Amanda questioned from behind them. Turning, they saw Amanda coming towards them, being pushed in a wheelchair by a nurse, her ankle wrapped tightly with a big black boot atop of it.

"How are you feeling?" Lee asked, just a touch too anxiously. He may not have realized how he sounded, but Harvey did and he grinned at the thought. Those two would make a good combination he figured.

"I'm fine, Lee." Amanda answered, touched by his obvious concern. "It's nothing, really."

Lee smiled happily as he reached down and took her hand. "Then how about we get out of here and go home? If we hurry, I can have you home in time to see your kids open their presents."

"I'd like that, Lee." She answered warmly. "I'd like that lot."

TBC


	17. Chapter 17

**A Christmas to Remember 17**

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**(December 25 – Very Early Morning)**

Amanda crept into her quiet house as well as she could on her injured ankle and sank wearily onto her couch. The last few days had been trying and exhausting, physically as well as emotionally. But they'd also been exhilarating, in a way, as she moved around the city of New York by Lee's side and seen sights and done things she'd never done before and might never get to again.

Of course the whole being chased by killers thing, she could've done without. But being with Lee alone had been wonderful, even if had been for the most part less than romantic.

Still, she was glad to be home, safe and warm and with her family. She'd missed them and for a while there, she had been afraid she'd never see them again. But Lee, as he always had since she'd known him, had come to her rescue once again and here she was now, safe and at home.

For a moment, she thought about simply taking her coat off and laying back on the couch instead of climbing those stairs. But it dawned on her, she was wearing clothes her mother had never seen before and hadn't had a shower since that first night that Lee had found her. That would give her mother more questions than she had answers for. It was already going to be difficult enough to have to explain the ankle.

With a sigh, Amanda pulled herself up and tiredly pulled herself up the stairs to her room. After showering and changing her clothes, she fell into her bed, almost asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. The final thought on her mind, was hoping Lee was alright and wishing he could be there with her and her family for Christmas.

Back at the Agency, Lee leaned heavily back against the chair in Billy's office having just finished his debriefing. Billy had stepped out for a moment to send the tapes to be transcribed and get some coffee while Lee rested for a moment before getting in his car and heading home.

He was tired but content. He had taken down a rogue Agent, a nest of Mobsters and gotten Amanda home safe, where she belonged. Not bad for a few day's work and enough to prevent Dr. Smyth from doing anything to him or Billy for going against his orders.

Of course, although he'd not admit it, even to himself, to Lee the most important part of the whole thing was that he'd gotten Amanda back. He didn't even want to think about the alternative.

"You about ready to go home?" Billy asked as he stepped back in and handed Lee a cup of coffee.

Gratefully taking the offered cup, Lee took a drink of the steaming liquid before replying. "I think I'm more than ready." He answered. "I can't remember being this tired."

Billy nodded, sipping his own cup of black brew. "Yeah, I guess you are. But think of this way, at least you're not in a hospital this year recovering from a gunshot wound like you were last year."

"Well," Lee agreed. "I guess that is something to be glad about."

Billy looked at his watch as he sat his half-finished cup down and reached for his jacket. "Well, it's one am and officially Christmas day. I think I am going to go home and spend the day with my family. What about you? Got any big plans?"

"Nope," Lee answered as he too got to his feet and sat his empty cup down. "I'm going to go home and sleep and then later fix myself some guacamole dip and watch football. Just a nice, normal Christmas."

Billy shook his head at the younger agent as he followed him out of the office and towards the elevators. "You know, Scarecrow, one of these days you ought to think about settling down."

Lee looked askance at his boss. "Me? You know better than that, Billy. I'm a lone wolf, remember? That kind of thing isn't for me."

"Oh, right." Billy answered. Although, in the past, the part about Lee being a 'lone wolf' was true, it was no longer, whether Lee wanted to admit it or not. Billy wasn't blind, he'd seen the soft looks Lee had sometimes cast Amanda's way and he seen Lee's reactions when Amanda had been in danger. Lee may not know it yet, but Billy did. Lee cared for Amanda. Whether he'd ever parlay that into a relationship, Billy didn't know, but he sure hoped so.

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**(December 25 – Evening)**

Lee walked quickly through the darkened alley, creeping closer to his objective. It was cold, snowing and a light wind was blowing, but he didn't care. Some force pushed him forward. He needed to check on Amanda.

When he finally reached her back yard, he quickly made his way over to the window, his only intentions were to look in. But as soon as he arrived, he saw the startled face of Amanda looking back out at him.

"Uh, Mother?" Amanda called to her mother who was picking up torn wrapping paper in the family room. "I'll be right back. I think I see the Jenkins dog in the back yard."

"Shoo him back home." Dotty called as Amanda opened the door and quickly stepped out.

"Lee?"

"Hi." He smiled. "I uh… just thought I'd check on you. How's the ankle?"

"Oh, it's fine." Amanda waved it off. "I'm fine. How about you?"

"I'm…" he hesitated just briefly, "fine. Had a good day watching football and eating…"

"Guacamole dip." She finished for him. "How about real food, Lee. Did you eat anything else? You know we still have plenty of food left over. Why don't I fix you a plate…"

"Amanda." Lee reached out and took her hand. "I'm fine. I grabbed a bite earlier. I just wanted to make sure you were okay. I mean after the last few days we had…"

"I'm alright." Amanda smiled. "Thanks to you. And I'm home and safe. I really appreciate what you did for me, Lee." She looked down at their clasped hands. "You really saved my life."

Lee idly thought that he should let go of her hand but he couldn't seem to do so. Instead he gave it a gentle tug. "You're my partner, Amanda. That's what partners do for one another."

Instead of an immediate reply, Amanda nodded as she dropped her head. Finally, the cold got the better of her and she reluctantly pulled her hand from his. "Well, I guess I'd better get back in. You going to be back at work tomorrow?"

Lee nodded. "Yeah. Sure will. What about you. Have your day planned?"

"Well, sort of." She answered with a shrug. "I have a couple of things I need to take back to the store and exchange and I promised I'd take the boys sledding."

"You?" He looked a little startled as he glanced down at her ankle.

"Oh, no. I'm won't be sledding. I'll just take them and watch them and then later I had some other things planned."

"Oh," Lee nodded. "Well, I guess I'd better go then. Merry Christmas, Amanda."

"Merry Christmas to you too, Lee." She smiled lovingly at him as he turned and started back the way he'd come. But suddenly he stopped and turned back to her. "Amanda?"

"Yes?"

Inside of a verbal reply, Lee crossed over to where Amanda still stood and bent his head towards hers, placing a soft sweet kiss on her lips. "Maybe I'll see you tomorrow." He smiled at her as he turned and walked off, leaving her breathless.

"Oh, I'll most definately see you tomorrow." she whispered as she watched him until he was out of sight.

As Lee quickly made his way back to his car, he smiled thinking about the last week. Though not a normal Christmas, by anyone's standards, it had still been a good one. For the second year in a row, he and Amanda had spent it together. Of course both times they'd been in danger and one of them had been hurt but they'd both come through intact with the spirit of the season ingrained just a little deeper.

With a slight chuckle, Lee realized most people would consider this year, as last, a Christmas to remember. But they would probably only remember the bad. Lee wouldn't though. He would remember the carriage ride, the feel of Amanda as he'd pressed her body close to the back of that building and the warmth of her smile as she sat beside him on that carriage ride.

That was what Lee would remember about Christmas for this year. And that would make it a Christmas well worth remembering.

The End.


End file.
